Ukraine seeks UN Council protection against Russia

March 02, 2014 - 2:34:23 am

Protesters call for U.S. action against possible Russian incursions into Ukraine, in front of the White House in Washington

UNITED NATIONS: Ukraine yesterday asked the United States and other key members of the UN Security Council to help safeguard its territorial integrity after Russia announced plans to send armed forces into the country’s autonomous Crimea region.

“We can stop the expansion of this aggression,” Ukraine’s UN Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev told reporters after addressing a closed-door UN Security Council meeting on the crisis in his country.

He said that Russia’s military aggression had violated a 1994 agreement on safeguarding Ukraine’s territorial integrity and called on the other four permanent UN Security Council members to use their diplomatic powers to help his country.

“Now what we are doing is we are addressing for other guarantors (of Ukraine’s sovereignty) — the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and China — to perform their guarantees,” Sergeyev said. “Still there is a possibility for world leaders to speak with (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin and prevent ... the further deterioration of the situation,” he said.

Ukraine put its armed forces on full combat alert and warned Russia that any military intervention in the country would lead to war. Agencies